Thursday, November 19

Wow, didn't think I'd be to this point already. The rest will be a self-absorbed diatribe. Looking back, I created this blog out of sheer boredom. Things at work had slowed down so much I found myself well...bored and in need of a creative outlet. Even though I'm not terribly good at it; I love to write. When thinking about all the wholesome life-affirming garbage reflected off my eyeballs, my mind spits out pearls in the form of sentences spontaneously. I often find myself scrambling for a pencil to jot down these brainfarts. The results are interned here for all to read and I hope this fun is apparent in my writings here.

Saying this, the big admission is I still don't have a college degree of any sort much to the wonder of everyone who knows me personally. I have some courses under my belt as an English major, but the reality of a work-a-day life (and the economy) has quelled my hopes a bit...whatever they might be. I'm still unsure of what I really want to "do" since I've never found anything as fulfilling as writing. Funny because I'm awful at even basic Arithmetic and not nearly as articulate in person. It's just hard imagining myself doing anything as an actual career and a Liberal Arts degree isn't exactly a moneymaker unless one has truly unique talent. Just needed to get this off my chest as it feels like I'm somehow tricking those who read this blog into thinking I actually have credentials if I don't make this known. I'm aware of how mighty big-headed that sounds and I'm feeling more than a touch strange tonight. Okay, that's enough of my wallow in self-loathing and pander for sympathy, back to the 500th post.

"Basement of Ghoulish Decadence", you ask? I honestly no idea where I plucked that from. I think I figured that name would be memorable enough for visitors to remember if they happened upon this blog at a computer that wasn't theirs. Of course, this is why we have e-mail, but I'm slow. I've always admired those that have carved out their place in cyberspace. I've already given credit to the great The Horror Section as the real catalyst for getting my ass into the blogosphere, but also The Pulsing Cinema as the strongest "vague" blog inspiration. Before John Hard went all podcast (no use for 'puter speakers or iPods), The Pulsing Cinema was a fantastic place to dig through for useful minutia concerning horror/cult selections and their various releases. The owner would often throw up obscure editions and detail them to the joy of obsessive personalities like the operator of BoGD. While other places usually glossed over my questions, Pulsing Cinema would answer them without me asking first.

This was and is my goal with Basement of Ghoulish Decadence. Days, months, or years from now, a fellow horror fan might actually be helped by the information I provide. I like that feeling as a way of giving back to all those that have helped aid and cultivate my hobby of collecting/watching the genre. Plus BoGD provides a reason to watch more flicks and keeps my key-punched meanderings sharp which is never a bad thing. Again, I hope this fun is apparent in my contributions here.

Anyway, thank you all very much for the continued visits, adds, and supportive (and informative) e-mails. The hits will keep coming and who knows where this might lead. Here's to 500 more entries and finds I really no clue where to put from an ever-deceasing amount of space. The picture of Mr. Cooper to the right is there merely because the man is still a badass after all these years and more of my posts should have unrelated shots of Vincent.As for other jumbled odds and ends, check out this bank-bustin' eBay auction of the British Intervision VHS edition of 1972's The Black Decameron (Il decamerone nero) that closed at $1,459.84 with 23 bids. Certainly the most bidding action and highest price I've ever seen on a VHS. I still haven't discovered why but "surfgenie" is probably nothing but happy. Moving on, why does it seem like every box of Imperial's The Dead Pit shows up heavily damaged like they've sat in a dank basement in a puddle for fifteen years? I've yet to find a copy in even halfway decent shape. Here's the newer Japanese Cannibal Holocaust VHS from Spike released in the '90s just to compare to my just received '86 release. Also additional thanks for Trick 'r Treat composer Douglas Pipes for including a link to my thoughts on the film on his official website's Press section. Certainly a big and pleasant surprise!

8 comments:

Drunketh
said...

Don't bring yourself down with what you think you may have been expected to do with "life". YOU ARE THE F'N MAN! Your post is very honest and open, and despite what you said for a second there, I like the way you write. I write fucked up too... I'm not gonna change my style to suit some computer's system of writing ideals. Fuckem. Oh, and yeah, You killah. Beyozinatch!

Congrats on post 500, Jay! I wasn't much of a blog reader (other than Tim Lucas' blog) until you started up BoGD. Since then, you've opened my eyes to the wonderful world of blogging and now I'm following quite a few. I had actually been in quite a horror rut, growing disillusioned with most horror sites on the web. Many just feel too corporate somehow, like reading Fangoria online over and over again. But I really dig the feel of your blog, it's very personal and genuine. Reminds me of the good ol' days over at Film-talk. (Bring back the horror DVD/BD comparisons!)

Anyway, keep up the good work my friend. And to quote another great writer, "YOU ARE THE F'N MAN!". ;)

Congratulations, it really doesn't seem like 500 already. Keep up the hard work and the frequent sharing of your flea market finds and thoughts. I agree it would be cool to see you bring back the comparisons, those were one of my favorite things to read at Film-Talk before things got so very quiet there.

Sorry about the college tangent, for the record I have a decent paying full time job with benefits...for now...haha. Obviously, I feel like I was made to do something more. I assume most everyone feels that as well.

I'll post more DVD PQ comparisons in the future, just not much to compare as of late.

Also Anthony, I've rarely visited "mainstream" Horror sites for years now. So I've been sorta "unplugged" for quite a long time. Though I'm in the same boat as you, I never really was into the whole horror blog scene before I started this one. It's a better way to keep up I think. Cuts away a lot of the excess crap and you get more of a focus on the days of yore instead of mostly current or future happenings.